A variety of machines are available for deforming strips of malleable metal into corrugated strips. The strips may have a variety of uses which include cooling fins for use in heat exchangers and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 1,937,466 discloses a representative type of machine for forming zig-zag folds in a strip of sheet metal which may be of copper or the like. Such corrugated strips may be used as cooling fins in sections of refrigerator condensers, radiator cores and the like. The machine is adapted to compensate for variations in the characteristics of the feed material. For example, one of the crimping rollers may be spring loaded to permit slight upward movement of one crimping roller relative to the other to compensate for variations in the malleability of the feed strip.
U.S. Pat. Nos. RE22,956 and 3,318,128 disclose other types of machines for manufacturing radiator fin material. Although both machines disclosed in these patents are capable of manufacturing fin stock, neither machine provides for ready adjustment in the phase relationship of the rotation of the impression dies relative to the folding dies. Hence it is difficult with these machines to compensate for variations in the characteristic of the toughness of the feed stock.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,873 specifically addresses the issue of varying the phase relationship of the impression dies relative to the folding dies by providing a floating idler gear in the gear transmission system which may be lifted from the transmission to provide for adjustment in the phase relationship of a rotation of the counter rotating impression dies relative to the counter rotating folding or corrugating dies. However, the provision of the floating idler gear which must be lifted up during operation of the machine does not lend itself to precise adjustment. Furthermore, the machine must be slowed to a very low rpm to permit such adjustment which moves the machine out of the normal operating realm and hence the adjustment may not always be consistent with the machine operating at full rpm. Furthermore with the toothed arrangement of the idler gear, a minor adjustment cannot be made because the extent of adjustment is determined by the number of teeth on the idler gear and the drive gears.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,536,102 discloses a phase relationship adjustor for two drive shafts. The axial position of an intermediate gear is varied to adjust the phase relationship of the two drive shafts. However, this system is somewhat complicated and would be of very expensive construction for use in varying the phase relationship of the forming dies relative to the folding dies.